Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Committee Chair
Max Flomen
Committee Member
Brian Luskey
Committee Member
Joseph Hodge
Abstract
This thesis situates three examples of transatlantic diplomacy practiced by Cherokee and Yamacraw diplomats in the eighteenth century within their Indigenous contexts. Utilizing treaty negotiations, transcripts from diplomatic summits, official correspondence, published journals, and newspapers, this study aims to situate these delegations within an Indigenous and transatlantic sociopolitical context. The aim of this work is to address questions regarding the objectives of the people involved, and to trace the outcomes of their policies. The answers to these questions explain one of many southeastern Indigenous political strategies of the eighteenth century, one that highlights the imperial center as a crucial setting in which Indigenous diplomatic policy was directed. The primary focus of this study, however, remains the North American interior, for the transatlantic diplomats prioritized their homes above all else. This thesis finds that the Cherokee and Yamacraw diplomats both effectuated several of their desired outcomes in the short term, as well as influenced the course taken by successive generations of Indigenous leaders who learned from their triumphs and their failures.
Recommended Citation
Bowers, Riley Christian, "“Long have I wished to see the king:” Indigenous Transatlantic Diplomacy in the 18th Century North American Southeast" (2023). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 12052.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12052